New campaign shares success across the globe

Dundee’s 7 Cities: Sharing success across the globe

OVERGATE in Dundee has announced the launch of Dundee’s 7 Cities, a new campaign celebrating the international focus and connectivity of the city.

Timed as a precursor to the opening of the magnificent waterfront V&A Museum this September, 7 Cities will celebrate the connections with Dundee’s seven sister and twinned cities around the world.

From West Dundee and Alexandria in the USA to Orléans in France and Zadar in Croatia, to Würzburg in Germany and Nablus in Palestine as well as Dubai in the UAE, Dundee’s 7 Cities will, over the next eight weeks, see Overgate partner with stakeholders including local schools, creative communities and the general public.

Launching this weekend, a unique installation will be at the centre of the campaign. Aiming to educate as well as encourage creativity, large white cubes will feature line drawings of iconic Dundee landmarks such as the V&A, The Law and Tay Bridge, as well as 7 Cities icons including the An-Nasr Mosque (Palestine), King Street Trolley (Virginia) and Burj Khalifa (Dubai).

Artists from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design will conduct live decoration of the giant cubes in Overgate on July 14 and 15. As each line drawing is completed, shoppers will be invited in to the area to begin personalising with colour and details. Once complete, the cubes will contain a wealth of information and will serve as a virtual tour for the consecutive days of the campaign.

Other panels on the giant cubes will present compelling and informative 7 Cities contributions – from the This is my Dundee wall, where the public will be invited to post on it what the city means to them, to a listening post with headphones where Dundee resident Doreen Lyons, now in her 80s, shares her memories of visiting sister city Orléans in France on a school exchange in 1974.

Elsewhere on the cubes, the public can enjoy reading the heart-warming pen pal letters between pupils of Ancrum Road and Clepington Road primary schools in Dundee and their 7 Cities friends overseas, whilst a display map of the world pinpointing Dundee’s 7 Cities globe-spanning reach will provide a visual attraction.

A ‘fun facts about the 7 cities’ cube and an optical illusion selfie station will guarantee plenty of fun too.

On Saturday, July 28, a very special storytelling event, hosted by colourful Dundee Sisters characters, will take place in Overgate between 11am and 4pm. This free virtual tour will invite families on an unmissable and magical journey of the 7 Cities.

In keeping with the outward vision of Dundee, Overgate’s 7 Cities campaign is also reaching out to aspiring local artists who wish to pay their own tribute to the city.

One of the 7 Cities installation cube panels will be devoted to RRS Discovery Ship – the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in Britain, successfully designed for Antarctic research and now a centrepiece visitor attraction in Dundee.

One successful artist will be chosen and invited to pay tribute to the pioneering spirit of RRS Discovery by creating their own visual interpretation on a cube panel. The successful artist will also have their end result featured in a major art display at Overgate in September.

To enter, an example of artwork should be delivered either by hand to the Customer Service Desk in Overgate or by email FAO Metta Ramsay to info@overgate.co.uk. The deadline for entries is July 11. The successful artist must be available to complete the RRS panel on Saturday, July 14.

“Over the next eight weeks, the installation within the centre will highlight the wonderful connectivity and stories between Dundee and our sister and twinned cities internationally.

“Ahead of the opening of the V&A in September, Dundee’s 7 Cities is a timely opportunity to celebrate these shared global connections and we look forward to welcoming everyone to Overgate from July 14 onwards to participate.”

George Laidlaw, of Dundee Wurzburg Twinning Association, added: “Dundee’s 7 Cities is a brilliant initiative and Dundee Wurzburg Twinning Association are delighted to have engaged youngsters in our twin city exchange.

“We are looking forward to developing the displays and congratulate Overgate in coming up with such a great idea involving the whole community.”

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